Page 55 of Happy Is On Hiatus
“How long has he wanted to get his hands on you?” Taryn asked when she returned to the island.
Her arms were folded across her chest, thin lips pursed, eyes blazing with what Rita would call a mixture of anger and hurt. Rita knew that look well because so many times she’d stood in the mirror and watched it staring back at her. For that reason alone, she took a deep, steadying breath and released it slowly before replying. “I honestly don’t think that man had given much thought to touching me in any way,” she said. “As I’m sure you’re aware, there are hundreds of women at NVB.”
“There’s only one pastor’s daughter who owns a car dealership. How do you know he’s not just after your title and money?” Taryn wore dark-blue jeans today and a pink halter top. Her hair was pulled back from her face to hang in a low ponytail down her back.
“Can we at least eat first?” Necole asked. “I mean, we came over here to have dinner and talk.”
Rita set the plates on the island and stared at her youngest child. She wore a pale-blue maxi dress that fit her slim frame perfectly. There were flat natural-colored sandals on her feet and at least two dozen Alex and Ani charm bracelets on her left wrist. Her hair was held back with a thick paisley band and fell to her shoulders in a riot of curls.
She was trying to keep the peace, and Rita appreciated that. But today, she figured they might as well have the knock-down-drag-out argument that’d been brewing between them for the last week. As much as she hated that the divorce was affecting her daughters in this way, and though she’d never wanted to get into confrontational discussions with her children before, she knew this was the only way they could move forward.
“We can do both,” she said. “But first, let’s at least have a seat and bless the food.”
They moved in silence to continue warming up their food and getting their drinks and any other toppings they wanted from the cabinet. Necole loved a sprinkle of sugar on her spaghetti no matter who made it or which restaurant it came from. It was her favorite pasta, and Rita thought the plate with generous sauce and meatballs looked terrific. TheItalian dish Rita loved most was shrimp marinara, and her daughters had known to order it with extra shrimp and extra sauce. And Taryn’s preference was lasagna that she drenched with more sauce and a small mountain of grated Parmesan cheese.
Rita’s prayer was not only for the Lord to bless the food they were about to receive, but to also guide their thoughts and words so that the discussion was steeped in love and respect and not anger and discord. When she was finished, her daughters muttered a spirit-filled amen along with her, and Rita felt a moment’s peace before they began.
“I want you to know that I’m okay with your decision,” Necole said while using her knife and fork to cut her food. “I know you don’t really feel like it’s me or Taryn’s business what goes on between you and Daddy, but you’re the two most important people in our lives, and whether you like it or not, that affects us.”
Rita could accept that. She carefully cut the tails from her shrimp, then made a second cut because they were too big to eat with one forkful of the pasta. “It’s not that I don’t expect you to have feelings about the situation, I just need you to understand that I won’t be changing my decision based on what you may want or expect me to do.”
“I don’t like it,” Taryn said, the edge still present in her tone.
It was hard to swallow that this might be the new norm between her and her daughter. For so long she’d prided herself on having a better relationship with her children than she’d ever had with her parents. She’d always encouraged them to talk to her about anything and to feel comfortable expressing themselves to her and Nate. There was never really an off-limits subject in her house, whereas in Vi’s house there were so many things that Rita had never been “old enough” to discuss. Sex and finances were just a couple.
Taryn continued, her fork and knife hacking away at the square of lasagna. “I don’t like walking in here to see some half-naked stranger coming out of the bathroom, and I definitely don’t like when I have to find out from my landlord that our rent payment was returned.”
“What?” Rita held her fork still as her gaze moved quickly to Taryn and then to Necole.
Necole was chewing, and Taryn let her utensils fall to the plate with a clatter. “I got the call on Friday and tried to call you but got your voice mail.”
“I went to Ocean City for the shower last weekend. I texted you both to tell you.” She’d actually thought they might come down since Wendy was only a few years older than they were, and Rita figured her guests were more of Taryn and Necole’s crowd. But neither of them had showed up.
And she’d been trying desperately not to think about Nate and his petty move of emptying the account while she was away. The rent for the girls’ apartment was set up as a direct payment from Nate and Rita’s main checking account, which was now empty. “I’m sorry,” Rita whispered because she’d been so upset by what Nate had done that she hadn’t thought to change all the payments that came out of that account monthly; she’d simply focused on her new account and what she needed to do to get her business off the ground.
“You shouldn’t apologize,” Necole said, sending a searing glare to her sister. “You’re not the one who emptied the account.”
Taryn rolled her eyes and sighed. “She’s right. Daddy did it. He told me when I called him, but he said you had other money to take care of it.”
Her daughters knew that she took care of all the monthly household bills. There’d been many times in the past when they’d seen her at the dining room table with bills, a checkbook, and a laptop. Still, it irritated Rita that they were here releasing all their frustration out on her while seemingly letting Nate off easy.
Keeping her composure and trying to play fair in a situation that wasn’t her fault was starting to grate on her nerves. But she kept it together and managed to reply, “There is another joint account. Actually,there are two—a savings account and an account for your tuition. I can set it up so that your rent comes from the savings.”
After confronting Nate in his office, she’d decided to use that account to pay things like her mortgage and utilities. Anything she needed personally and all her upcoming business expenses, she was going to take from her own account.
Even with that said, Rita paused and glanced at her daughters. “But things are going to be changing,” she continued. “My financial situation, your father’s, and ultimately yours. You can get a job to help support yourselves.” By the time Rita had been Taryn’s age, she didn’t have a job, but she did have a husband, a house, and a child to take care of, all while taking evening courses. If she could do it on those terms, then her daughters, who didn’t have any of those obligations, could do the same.
“So we have to start paying all our bills ourselves?” Necole sounded like the concept was totally foreign to her, and Rita’s gut clenched with regret.
Had she been trying so hard to be everything her mother wasn’t that she hadn’t properly prepared her children for the real world at all? At least with all Vi’s rules and declarations, Rita had always known that if she wasn’t a wife and mother, she’d still need to find her own way and take care of herself once she turned eighteen. Her parents weren’t a fan of taking care of children beyond that point. And truth be told, Rita had spent so much time anticipating turning eighteen so she could be free from living under her parents’ thumbs that she’d often planned for what her adult future would look like.
“That’s what adults do,” she told her. “It’s what the two of you will have to learn to do. Now, I’ll call the bank in the morning and get this month’s rent situated.”
Taryn shook her head. “Daddy came over yesterday and gave us some cash.”
“But he told us to come to you and get the rest straightened out,” Necole added.
“Oh.” Rita said the one word with finality. “So you didn’t just want to have dinner with me tonight? You needed to come over here and find out how your bills were gonna continue getting paid?”
